Diary
Today, my wife is having dinner with her colleagues, so it’s just the three of us – my daughter, my son, and me – spending the evening together. However, my wife has kindly left us a dinner she cooked. We really appreciate it. Also, we’re having mapo tofu for dinner.
Authentic Mapo Tofu Recipe (Just One Cookbook)
How to Make Mapo Tofu (Serious Eats)
What Is Mapo Tofu? (The Woks of Life)
Original sentence
Today my wife has a dinner with her colleagues, so we only three, my daughter, son, and me, spend evening time. However my wife leaves our dinner that she cooks for us. We appreciate it for her. Additionally our dinner is marbordofu.
Explanation of corrections
1.“has a dinner” → “is having dinner”
“Have dinner” is used without an article (“a”), and present continuous (“is having”) fits better for planned events happening today.
2.“we only three” → “it’s just the three of us”
Natural phrasing in English: “only three” sounds unnatural; “just the three of us” is the common idiom.
3.“spend evening time” → “spending the evening together”
“Evening time” sounds a bit awkward; just “evening” is enough. Adding “together” makes it warmer and more natural.
4.“However my wife leaves our dinner that she cooks for us.” → “However, my wife has kindly left us a dinner she cooked.”
“However” needs a comma after it.
“Leaves” should be “has left” (present perfect) because it relates to a recent action.
“Kindly” makes it sound more polite and appreciative.
“Dinner she cooked” is a more natural order in English.
5.“We appreciate it for her.” → “We really appreciate it.”
“Appreciate it for her” is unnatural. Just “appreciate it” is correct. “Really” adds a bit of feeling, which sounds natural in British English.
6.“Additionally our dinner is marbordofu.” → “Also, we’re having mapo tofu for dinner.”
“Additionally” is correct but a bit formal in conversation; “Also” sounds more natural.
“Is marbordofu” needed correction: “mapo tofu” is the correct spelling in English for 麻婆豆腐 (and “having” fits the food context better).
